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Navy Ocean News

21 Sep 2023

U.S. Revives Cold War Submarine Spy Program to Counter China

Credit: noraismail/AdobeStock

On a windswept island 50 miles north of Seattle sits a U.S. Navy monitoring station. For years, it was kept busy tracking whale movements and measuring rising sea temperatures. Last October, the Navy gave the unit a new name that better reflects its current mission: Theater Undersea Surveillance Command.The renaming of the spy station at the Whidbey Island naval base is a nod to a much larger U.S. military project, according to three people with direct knowledge of the plans:…

17 Feb 2022

Fire-stricken Car Carrier Abandoned and Adrift in the North Atlantic

(Photo: Portuguese Navy)

A Panamanian-flagged car carrier is crewless and adrift in the North Atlantic Ocean after a fire broke out in a cargo hold on Wednesday.The Portuguese Navy said it coordinated the rescue of 22 crew members from the Felicity Ace about 90 nautical miles southwest of the island of Faial, in the Azores. The Portuguese Navy's ocean patrol vessel NRP Setúbal and four nearby merchant ships participated in the rescue.The mariners were transported by a Portuguese Air Force aircraft to Horta airport, and then to a nearby hotel.

07 Apr 2016

RV Neil Armstrong Arrives in Woods Hole

The research vessel Neil Armstrong was met by a jubilant crowd at the WHOI dock Wednesday, as it arrived to its homeport for the first time. (Photo by Daniel Cojanu, WHOI)

The research vessel Neil Armstrong arrived to its home port at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) dock for the first time Wednesday, escorted by the WHOI coastal research vessel R/V Tioga, two Coast Guard vessels and fireboats from neighboring towns. “What a wonderful day for Woods Hole, for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, for Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the entire ocean science community,” enthused WHOI President and Director Mark Abbott. “We’re very proud to have been selected by the Office of Naval Research to operate the Neil Armstrong. Six years ago, the U.S.

21 Apr 2015

Coatings Quietly Helping to Control Noise

U.S. Navy’s AGOR Research Vessels are built to be as operationally quiet as possible. That’s where Mascoat’s Sound Control-dB coatings come in. When the U.S. Navy began its design and build program for its newest generation of research vessels, it specified that the vessels had to be as quiet as possible. That’s because a large part of ocean research involves listening and excessive ship noise tends to negate that effort. Achieving the goal of an exceptionally quiet vessel, the vessel’s design team employed a variety of methods to meet the Navy’s exacting standards, choosing systems, defined equipment locations and designed special installation methods with acoustics as a priority. One of those methods involved Mascoat’s Sound Control-dB coatings.

16 Sep 2014

Navy Ocean Services Contracts Awarded to Five Firms

The US Department of Defense inform that five firms are to share in a broad range of ocean engineering services contracts with a combined maximum dollar value of US$99-million. DoD explains that the work to be performed provides for ocean engineering services in support of projects involving ocean cable systems, ocean work systems (such as shipboard load handling systems and undersea work systems), waterfront facilities, offshore structures, moorings, and ocean construction equipment. The maximum dollar value including the base period and three option periods for all five contracts combined is $99,000,000. The work will be performed in environments ranging from arctic to tropic…

30 Jun 2014

Maersk Line Awarded Sealift Command Contract Modification

The U.S. Department of Defense informs that Maersk Line, Ltd., Norfolk, Virginia, is being awarded a $7,103,568 modification under a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00033-13-C-2505) to exercise a 92-day option for the operation and maintenance of five U.S. Navy ocean surveillance ships and one U.S. Navy missile range instrumentation ship. Work will be performed worldwide and is expected to be completed by September 2014. Working capital funds in the amount of $7,103,568 are obligated for fiscal 2014 and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

31 Mar 2014

Latest DoD Navy Contracts

USNS Guadalupe: Photo MSC

Vigor Industrial LLC, Moran Towing Corp., and Maersk Line, Ltd. Vigor Industrial LLC, Portland, Ore., is being awarded a $6,875,938 firm-fixed-price contract for a 68-calendar day mid-term shipyard availability of USNS Guadalupe (T-AO 200). Work will include 72,000-hour main engine maintenance; main engine turbocharger overhaul; port shaft brake overhaul; starboard power take-off clutch/coupling overhaul, deck non-skid preservation; roller door replacement; and gypsy winch overhauls. Guadalupe's primary mission is to provide fuel to U.S.

18 Mar 2014

USCG: The Fleet Faces Forward

USCG Cutter Sapelo and the Royal Netherlands Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel HNLMS Holland search Caribbean Sea waters for bales of contraband jettisoned by Dominican drug smugglers.

The numerous cutters and craft of the U.S. Coast Guard —from the sail training ship Eagle to the large oceangoing patrol ships; from polar icebrakers to small utility boats — form a formidable fleet to meet the many challenging assignments undertaken by the service. In 2014 the Coast Guard continues its recapitalization program with its National Security Cutter (NSC), Fast Response Cutter (FPC) and Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC). The service plans to procure 91 cutters (8 NSCs, 25 OPCs and 58 FRCs) to replace are 90 aging cutters and patrol boats. According to a Feb.

30 Sep 2013

Maersk Awarded Three MSC Contracts

USNS GYSGT Fred W. Stockham: Photo courtesy of MSC

In the first contract, Maersk Line, Ltd., Norfolk, Va., is being awarded a $31,817,327 modification to a previously awarded contract to exercise the third 12-month option period for the operation and maintenance of five government-owned Maritime Prepositioning Force ships: USNS 2ND LT John P. Bobo (T-AK 3008), USNS SGT William R. Button (T-AK 3012), USNS 1ST LT Baldomero Lopez (T-AK 3010), USNS 1ST LT Jack Lummus (T-AK 3011) and USNS PFC Dewayne T. Williams (T-AK 3009). These…

12 May 2013

Babcock Wins 'HMS Scott' Support Contract

HMS Scott: Photo credit MOD

Through-life engineering support contract for the Royal Navy’s ocean survey vessel 'HMS Scott' awarded to Babcock, initially for 5 years. Under the contract, which includes an option to extend in 2018 for a further five years, Babcock will provide all aspects of through-life support for the vessel, working collaboratively in long term relationships with the MoD and some of its selected specialist contractors. The contract scope includes all aspects of Fleet Time Engineering Support for HMS Scott…

12 Apr 2013

US Navy Ocean Test Support Contracts Awarded

Eclipse Group Inc., of Annapolis, Md. and  Seaward Services Inc., New Albany, Ind. awarded Navy contracts by the Deptartment of Defense. The Eclipse contract is valued at US$ 22,879,990, and the Seaward contract  at US$ 21,849,824. Both contracts are cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contracts for operational and logistics support for ocean testing and related at sea projects. The contractors will be required to provide operational support personnel and specialized equipment such as remotely operated vehicles, diving services, aircraft support, specialized mobilization equipment and vessels with crews and provisioning in support of open ocean sea tests.

27 May 2010

NOAA, Navy Monitor Ocean Conditions Near Spill

Photo courtesy NOAA

NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson is underway on a mission to deploy a variety of U.S. Navy ocean monitoring instruments in the vicinity of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The floats, drifters and autonomous underwater vehicles will aid researchers in monitoring the surface and deep currents that are distributing the oil. Of particular interest is the Loop Current and its potential to spread the oil to a much wider area. “NOAA is proud to partner with the U.S. Navy in the ongoing…

03 Dec 2008

2008 IMO Award to Brazilian Seafarer

The 2008 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea has been presented to a Brazilian seafarer who saved fellow crew members from a dangerous fire on a ship. Mr. Rodolpho Fonseca da Silva Rigueira, of the drill ship Noble Roger Eason, nominated by the Government of Brazil, for his decisive, selfless action to rescue six fellow crew members from a catastrophic fire which burst out on it. The fire originated from an explosion, causing imminent risk to the lives of crew members in the vicinity of the explosion; yet, instead of evacuating the area, he repeatedly faced the fire and very high temperatures to save his colleagues, at severe risk to his own life. Mr. Rigueira was presented with the award by IMO Secretary-General Mr. Efthimios E.

28 Jan 2003

HISTORY:Rescuing the Rescuer

According to the Baltimore Sun last April 21, 100,000 visitors came to town the day before, just to see the boats. Most had arrived for the Volvo races, an endurance test of sorts. But without so much press, from as far off as Seattle, another 48 came for a ship whose endurance was legend already. For a near half-century with the Coast Guard, the Tamaroa fought famously bad seas - and before that, enemy fire. Her quiet admirers arrived Balto with scrapers in hand, wrenches at the ready, plans in mind. Tamaroa had taken world wars and nature's wrath in stride. But civilian life got her down. Her preceding nine years were spent in near-isolation, open to intruders and the elements, gathering rust. April 20 was the day all that would change. Some of the 48 came to relive, some to renew.